Saturday 2nd August 2014, Angela Meyer: Slush Pile, Shadwell’s first novel, is a rollicking black comedy with an entertainingly unlikable main character. As this selfish, pleasure-seeking, pompous and arrogant man digs a hole for himself, due to the conviction that he is entitled to everything he imagines he could have, the reader both cringes and eggs him on, to see just how far he will go.
Bookseller and Publishing Magazine May 2014, Paula Grunseit
I loved this hilarious take on the publishing industry, the dilemmas of the writer’s life, and the little digs at everything from the perils and distractions of the internet; writers’ festivals; PR and advertising; and the genre versus literary fiction debate. This is the first novel from writer, musician and painter Ian Shadwell. It will appeal to writers, aspiring writers, publishing insiders and readers who enjoy satire.
Sun Herald 20 July 2014, Thuy On: For anyone who has ever struggled to write a book, this one offers a satirical diversion in case you’re suffering from creative blockage. It’s about a one-time winner of the Booker Prize who, years later, is unable to match his earlier meteoric literary success. Penniless and desperate, Michael Ardenne grudgingly agrees to read his publisher’s slush pile for a small fee and while he does so, discovers a page-turning thriller that he decides to lightly edit and then pass off as his own work. Shadwell has a finely-tuned comic touch and his creation of the arrogant, shambolic author is a delight.
Slush Pile is a romp through the life of a literary desperado and a cautionary tale for anyone thinking of taking a short cut to fame.
profile in SunHerald 13 July 2014, by Marc McEvoy,
ianshadwell.com 
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